1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of oral hygiene instruments. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a plaque remover to be used in connection with dental prostheses of the "tissue integrated type", that is, of the type which includes titanium anchor columns directly implanted into the jawbone to support a substructure and a set of artificial teeth.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Dental prostheses have been known for a long time. A relatively recent development in dental prostheses utilizes small titanium cylinders having an outer thread and an inner threaded hole. The titanium cylinders are implanted into tiny holes surgically drilled in the jawbone. After an appropriate healing period, which may be between three to six months, the titanium cylinders are accepted by and firmly anchored in the bone tissue. Then a dental prosthesis including a substructure and a set of artificial teeth is affixed to the titanium support cylinders. The above-summarized dental prosthesis is known in the art as a "tissue integrated prosthesis" and is shown on FIG. 5 of the drawings which are appended to the present patent application.
As is well known in the art, the maintenance of sufficient oral hygiene in connection with dental prosthetic devices is of great importance for health reasons. This is particularly true regarding tissue integrated prostheses, because such prostheses are relatively difficult to keep clean and free of plaque. Moreover, such prosthetic devices are usually provided to persons who already have had significant dental problems and possibly degenerative disease of the gums and/or jawbone.
In connection with the above-summarized tissue integrated prosthesis, it is particularly important to keep those portions of the titanium cylinders plaque and calculus free which extend above the jawbone and through the gums into the oral cavity. As is well known, excessive buildup of plaque and calculus causes gum disease, undesirable recession of the gum line, and degeneration of the jawbone. Moreover, the titanium cylinders are hard to clean, not only because access is relatively difficult, but also because scratching of the metal surface is undesirable in that it causes damage, and scratched surfaces tend to support plaque buildup faster than smooth surfaces.
The prior art has attempted to solve the above-noted problems by providing a specialized instrument having a hook and a crescent-shaped blade. The hooked portion has internal teeth to facilitate removal of calculus deposits. The instrument is made from hard plastic which is adequate to remove calculus but not hard enough to scratch the titanium columns.
In spite of the above-noted specialized tool, there still is need in the prior art for better instruments to clean the titanium anchor columns of tissue integrated prostheses. The present invention provides such a better instrument.